SEO (search engine optimization) is subject to new changes every year. 2019 will also be exciting! Starting in recent years, Google's artificial intelligence, mobile first and voice search have become are becoming increasingly important alongside the two most important ranking factors: unique content and high-quality backlinks. You should also keep your content "fresh" and up-to-date in 2019 in order to secure top rankings in the search results (Google Freshness Algorithm).

The artificial intelligence of Google - RankBrain

Some web developers are already familiar with the term "Rankbrain". But only SEO experts know what Google's algorithm really does.

Google recognized very early on that users not only use "exact search queries", but also phrases, questions and the like. RankBrain is not primarily concerned with "best-match search queries", but with unknown queries that Google was previously unaware of. These make up 15 percent of all search queries every day. every day. In 2007 it was even 20-25 percent.

And it is precisely with these unknown search queries that RankBrain now comes into play and attempts to use artificial intelligence to better sort, categorize and assign these search queries to the respective topics.

Top 3 Google ranking factors

The top 3 ranking factors are definitely content, links and RankBrain. Whether we say links, content and RankBrain or whether we name a different order doesn't matter, as every search query is different. In general, it can be said that RankBrain interferes the least with exact match search queries and the most with unknown search queries. Two other factors also come into play, namely backlinks and content.

Here is a short video (1:07 minutes) in which Google reveals the top ranking factors:

Is RankBrain constantly learning?

All the learning that RankBrain does happens completely in the background and offline. Google collects this historical data and creates predictions that appear to be the most helpful for the user. These predictions are tested offline. If they are good, they are integrated into the latest version of RankBrain and are then "live" in the algorithm. This process is constantly repeated and RankBrain is therefore constantly evolving.

Mobile First Index: Google's new index since March 2018

The change of era is complete and Google now uses the mobile index as the main index instead of the original desktop index.

In March 2018, Google announced the mobile-first index in the Google Webmaster Central Blog . Initially, only a few webmasters received a message in the Search Console. The biggest roll-out then happened in September 2018, where most webmasters received the following notification:

3 tips for the mobile-first index

Tip #1: Use responsive web design

From an SEO perspective, it is best if the website has a responsive web design is provided. There are also two other methods of making a website available on screens of all sizes. Namely as "Dynamic delivery" or with "Different URLs".

Tip #2: Mobile speed optimization

Loading time is an important factor for the user experience not only in SEO, but also in search engine advertising (SEA). half of visitors leave the website leave the website after a loading time of around 3 seconds.

With the Google Speed Update in July 2018, Google is tightening the loading time for websites and is also becoming a ranking factor for mobile websites.

Which websites are affected by the Google Speed Update?

According to Google, the update does not affect websites that already have an optimized loading time. This does not give these websites any additional advantage in terms of rankings. The focus is on websites with good rankings, but which have a high loading time. It is precisely these sites that must expect losses in the rankings.

The loading time should not only be considered as a ranking factor, but also in terms of conversion. Because the lower the loading time, the higher the conversion.

Tip #3: Mobile accessibility for the crawler

Your mobile website must always be accessible for the Googlebot. If you deliver different content on mobile and desktop - make sure that all content is loaded. You can also omit individual elements for the mobile website to reduce the loading time.

Voice search: the future is changing

Ever since Siri has been available in the iPhone and is just waiting to finally be used, voice control has arrived with users. Nowadays, there is almost no smartphone or tablet that does not follow instructions via voice control. Google also introduced voice control in its Chrome browser in 2013. Voice searches are more spontaneous, more convenient and faster than typing.

How voice search and search engine optimization are changing

Nowadays, a page is often optimized for a keyword or a few additional long-tail keywords. However, optimization is usually carried out for a main keyword with a high search volume and a few additional long-tail keywords with a lower search volume.

The reason for this type of optimization is the number of search queries. The focus keyword has the most traffic and then 2-3 long-tail keywords are selected, which also have a high search volume and, if possible, are surrounded by little competition.

How voice search will change the search volume

It is obvious - if more people use voice search in the future, the search volume of exact match keywords will decrease and long-tail keywords will come into focus. In the future, more questions will be asked than just single words strung together. Google understands the individual phrases - now it is up to the user to provide the appropriate content for the questions and to understand the question and the user precisely.

How do you optimize content to be voice search compatible?

Tip #1: Keywords in conjunction with W questions

Search queries on computers/laptops and mobile devices are usually single keywords if voice search is not being used. However, if voice search is used, then phrases and longer questions will occur more frequently. In order to optimize the content, you should always define the keywords in connection with W questions and use this in the h2 headings as well as in the content.

Voice recognition is certainly a challenge for Google, as the connection between keywords, questions, search intent and content still needs to be brought together more intensively. However, Google is already well on the way to mastering this. However, there are currently few content pieces that fully cover these W-questions - so there is again a small gap for SEOs to be better than the competition.

Tip #2: Search forums in the respective niche/industry

In addition to using classic keyword tools, you should also read up on forums and become active there. In this way, you can find out what your users are interested in and can precisely meet their search intentions - and thus offer the corresponding added value with your content.

Forums are the best way to find out the real questions that users in the industry have. There you can also establish yourself as an expert (see tip 3 in the next step) in an industry and confirm your expert status. It is important to always be active, to interact with your users and to maintain and secure contact.

Tip #3: Be an expert in your subject area

In order to be perceived as an expert in the industry, you must first demonstrate your knowledge through unique content and back up your statements with high-quality sources. As already mentioned, you should therefore be active in forums and always activate the comment function on your posts so that other users can get in touch with you.

Tip #4: Integrate FAQ questions into the content

High-quality content for SEO is not 300 SEO texts, as many non-SEOs like to claim. There are no exact specifications as to how long an SEO text should be, because in 2018 and 2019 it is all about covering the entire topic and fulfilling the search intention 100 percent.

In addition to the appropriate W questions, you should also refresh your content with so-called "most frequently asked questions" (FAQs). This will make the article more complete and fulfill the search intention.

Tip #5: Use more long-tail keywords through more intensive keyword research

As already mentioned, keyword research is usually not carried out in sufficient depth, as detailed research naturally takes an enormous amount of time. Nevertheless, good research is already worthwhile today. Because you can use it to recognize possible content gaps and attack them more easily and quickly with SEO. In the future, you should not only optimize for one main keyword, but increasingly for longtails.

Tip #6: Use Schema.Org data for local searches

Studies show that many language search queries are carried out at a local level. You should therefore always integrate the Schema.org data and keep it up to date. The Google Business entry should also always be up-to-date and maintained. In addition, you can also rich snippets can also be incorporated into the code to increase the click-through rate (CTR).

Conclusion

I hope I was able to help you with my SEO advice for 2019. If you have any further questions, tips or comments on the topic of SEO trends, please leave me a comment. I look forward to your feedback!